F. A. Hayek, in Volume I, Chapter Two, "Cosmos and Taxis", of Law, Legislation and Liberty (University of Chicago, 1973), suggests this definition of the word "order": "By 'order' we shall throughout describe a state of affairs in which a multiplicity of elements of various kinds are so related to each other that we may learn from our acquaintance with some spatial or temporal part of the whole to form correct expectations concerning the rest, or at least expectations which have a good chance of proving correct." "Taxis", as in "taxidermy" the deliberate ordering of the skin of animals. Cosmos = Greek for "natural order"; Taxis = Greek for "designed order." This is a brilliant chapter and the origin of my work on freeorder. Hayek's brilliance manifested itself in seeing that there is a third kind of order, sort of between "natural" and "designed". Those orders are "the results of human action but not of human design" and so have been called both "natural" and "designed" leading to endless confusion and discussions that are never resolved. In such discussions the word freeorder is helpful. This way of thinking about order becomes especially interesting when linked to the idea of optimizing quest, "an aesthetics governed pattern of explorations". Hayek did not do that, but it could be said to be implied in his work. I have made it explicit. The word "governed" here means "highly influenced by," not "determined in entirety." |